Masdar and Elite Agro's pilot project pioneers irrigated AgriPV in MENA region

Masdar and Elite Agro Holding have recently introduced what they describe as the Middle East and North Africa’s very first agricultural photovoltaic (AgriPV) pilot project. The idea behind this initiative is pretty innovative, demonstrating how solar power and intensive greenhouse farming can, believe it or not, share the same land in really dry climates. The setup was unveiled at Elite Agro’s Al Foah Farm in Al Ain, Abu Dhabi, during Abu Dhabi Sustainability Week, and the goal is to eventually create a model that can be scaled across the region.

The project cleverly combines photovoltaic panels with greenhouse structures, essentially allowing the land to be used for both generating electricity and growing crops. Masdar notes that this setup provides some shading, well, partial shading, that can help to reduce heat stress on plants, cut down the amount of irrigation needed, and stabilize microclimates for sensitive crops. They also mentioned that the pilot will gather real data on water efficiency, how well crops grow, land utilization, and energy production, all of which should help inform larger projects later on.

“This initiative, pretty exciting, right?, will show how clean energy and agriculture can thrive side by side, making our food systems more resilient and boosting both food and energy security,” Mohamed Jameel Al Ramahi, Masdar’s CEO, said during the event.

Maurizio Terazzi, who’s CEO of Elite Agro Holding, pointed out that this effort is, in a way, a direct response to the water and land pressures typical in arid and semi-arid regions. “By merging farming with clean energy, we’re demonstrating that food security and the shift to renewable energy are really connected solutions, especially in these tough environments,” he explained.

Policy support and strategic goals also play a big part here. According to Masdar, the pilot aligns with the UAE’s Energy Strategy 2050 and its Net Zero 2050 ambitions, they want to boost low-carbon power and improve overall energy efficiency. The project also supports the National Food Security Strategy 2051 by positioning AgriPV as a way to generate more resilient, local food, reducing reliance on imports and easing supply chain pressures.

Industry commentators picked up on these points, pointing out that the pilot might help strengthen regional food supplies and produce somewhat greener power, serving as a blueprint for similar climates in the Gulf and broader MENA area, too.

Now, about what makes AgriPV promising, and also challenging, it’s gaining international attention because it essentially maximizes land productivity by producing both food and energy from the same space. In greenhouse environments, raised panels can change how sunlight hits the crops, often leading to cooler canopy temperatures and less water loss through evapotranspiration. For the UAE, dealing with water scarcity and high temperatures daily, that kind of microclimate regulation is especially valuable.

But, of course, combining solar panels with protected-crop systems isn’t as simple as just plopping panels down. Careful design is crucial. Factors like panel spacing, tilt angle, mounting height, and greenhouse glazing all need to be optimized, balancing enough sunlight for plants against maximizing energy output. Masdar and Elite Agro expect the Al Foah project to generate real-world performance data on these design choices. They’ve emphasized that the goal isn’t just to put the systems next to each other, but to develop designs that really balance agricultural needs with electrical generation.

Both partners see this pilot as a stepping stone toward wider adoption. Elite Agro already works across the GCC, Europe, and Africa, and they view this project as part of their broader mission for sustainable farming and advanced agri-technology. Masdar, meanwhile, considers the pilot an extension of its renewable energy portfolio, aiming to find more diverse ways to deploy solar power.

Scaling from a pilot to full-on commercial deployment hinges heavily on economics, of course. It’s not just about how much electricity is produced, but also how crop yields and quality are impacted, plus the capital and ongoing maintenance costs of a combined system. Government incentives, how tariffs are structured for onsite power use, and local demand for climate-adapted produce will all influence whether investors get on board.

Masdar has clearly outlined some key metrics to gauge the project’s success. They’ll track water use per kilogram of produce, crop yields under the shading conditions, the amount of renewable power generated, and overall land-use efficiency, comparing this integrated approach against traditional separate setups. The data gathered should help create guidelines and pave the way for future projects in similar dry regions.

Reports from regional media highlight the project’s potential as a model others could follow. They emphasized that this initiative fits into two big national goals for the UAE: expanding clean energy and boosting domestic food resilience. It’s an interesting combo, really.

In a larger sense, AgriPV is part of a broader search for integrated solutions that tackle climate change, water scarcity, and food security all at once. The UAE’s ambitious targets for emissions cuts and self-sufficient food production foster an environment where innovation like this can thrive. But, as the Al Foah pilot aims to demonstrate, real-world deployment needs solid field data and commercially feasible designs.

By placing the pilot at a real farm, Masdar and Elite Agro hope to short-circuit some of the typical learning curve, it’s among the first tangible steps from demonstration project to reality. If they succeed in proving the claimed efficiencies and resilience, it might influence farmers, developers, and policymakers across the Gulf and similar tough climates to take dual-use land strategies more seriously.

Right now, their main focus is on turning the Al Foah installation into a robust source of evidence. The results from ongoing operations will ultimately decide whether AgriPV moves from a promising concept to a common, practical tool for climate-friendly agriculture and renewable energy in the region.

Source: Noah Wire Services